"Jeanne d'Arc and the medieval Rouen" a Rouen Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

Rouen is the capitol of Normandy and what a capitol it is. The towns centre realy brings you back in medieval times, with it's many "vakwerk" (woodwork) houses in almost every centre street and alleys. High above the houses rises the peak of the cathedral up to 151 meters height, the highest churchtower in France and one of the highest in the world! Rouen is also the fifth city in France, with an important harbour between Le Havre on the English Channel (La Manche) in the mouth of the Seine and Paris itself.

In history, Rouen takes a not so nice place. It was here that Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) was sentenced to death on the burning staple. Rouen was at that time, the capitol of English Normandy. Only centuries later she became recognised as the drive behind the uniting of France as the country as it is today. This, because it was the same Dauphin/King of France that betrayed her after she restored power for him through a series of military successes (among which the famous batlle of Orleans, from where she got her nickname "Maid of Orleans"). Now-a-days Jeanne d'Arc is THE national French hero and Rouen - even though the city at that time was partly responsible to her death - celebrates her as hero, martir and saint too.

Another famous person from Rouen is Gustave Flaubert, the author of the famous novel "Madame Bovary". His father was director of the local hospital and so a quite strange combination in museums came to be (museum Flaubert and medical history). As strange as this combination, as wide the things Rouen offers it's visitor.
From the medieval city centre to the modern shipyards along the Seine. Rouen has a wide variety inside it's city borders. Also in cultural point of view it offers everything from cinema to theatre and from many museums to different art expositions.